A F-16 pilot assigned to the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron clocked 1,000 hours in combat on Feb. 28 during a mission in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan.
“I believe there are roughly six F-16 pilots under the rank of colonel that have 1,000 combat hours,”said Lt. Col. James Buessing, 77th EFS commander. “The average F-16 pilot doesn’t even reach the 1,000 hour milestone let alone 1,000 combat hours, so yes it’s a huge deal that ‘Mach’ has reached this milestone.”